PRO FOOTBALL

PRO FOOTBALL; Testaverde Isn't Ready To Pack It In for Good

By GERALD ESKENAZI

Published: October 12, 2002

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Oct. 11—
Great athletes always say they will know when it's time to retire. When it does come time, though, they are often ushered out kicking and screaming.

Vinny Testaverde said today that it was not yet that time and that he had an obligation to his teammates to show them he was taking his demotion like a leader.

Testaverde is now the backup to Chad Pennington, the young quarterback who took Testaverde's place against Kansas City last Sunday. When the Jets (1-4) play their next game, against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 20 at Giants Stadium, Pennington will start again.

''Will I get another opportunity?'' Testaverde said in his most extensive interview since the demotion early last week. ''I don't know. History tells you, yes, I'll get another chance. Then take it from there. Will I be in there permanently when I get that chance? I don't know.''

History has been on Testaverde's mind this season. ''Now that I've had a chance to sit back for two weeks, not knowing what the future holds, I would love to throw for 40,000 yards,'' said Testaverde, who began the season with 39,059 career passing yards and now has 39,544. ''I'm only two good solid performances away.''

Testaverde mentioned Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas, as if he were a youngster recalling his heroes. They are among the seven quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 40,000 yards in their professional careers.

''I need 456 yards now for 40,000,'' Testaverde said.

But he sounded almost reluctant to talk about the statistics that help put his 16-year career into perspective. Testaverde said he preferred to think of his career in different terms.

''I look at my situation now as overcoming a disadvantage,'' he said. ''I pride myself at working hard to get what I've achieved. That mind-set will continue to be my saving grace. Look, there are consequences to what happens now if I said I didn't like this. To be a leader, you have to lead when things are going good and when things are going bad.''

Testaverde's story includes many highlights, from his days as a legendary quarterback at Sewanhaka High School in Elmont, N.Y., to winning the Heisman Trophy at the University of Miami, to his selection as the No. 1 overall pick in the N.F.L. draft, to leading the Jets to the American Football Conference championship game in his first season with the team in 1998.

''But I always had a battle,'' he said. ''In high school, I had to sit as a junior because there was a senior ahead of me. At Miami, they red-shirted me because Bernie Kosar beat me out. When I got drafted, I didn't start until the end of my rookie season. When I became a Jet, I was the backup.''

Testaverde played as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he often had to take the fall for the team's failures. Then, after being traded to the Cleveland Browns, he replaced Kosar as the starting quarterback. He wound up with the Jets after two good years with the Baltimore Ravens because Bill Parcells, then the Jets' coach, needed a backup to Glenn Foley.

Is Testaverde through? He was winging the ball in practice today with his characteristic zip, and he was on target. Oddly, even though his play this season led to his benching, he was passing for the highest completion percentage of his career, 64.6 percent. He also threw three touchdown passes and had three interceptions before Coach Herman Edwards decided to start Pennington.

''The funny thing is, before the season we talked about how the top five teams last year also had the best completion percentage,'' Testaverde said. ''So a big emphasis was put on making sure, no matter what happens downfield, complete the ball. Don't force it, take it underneath.''

Testaverde insisted that he had accepted Edwards's decision, saying it was the boss's prerogative. And he said that he and Pennington were like a ''big brother, little brother.''

Since going to the bench, he said, some teammates have told him: ''You're not the same guy. You're more easygoing.''

Testaverde spends nearly every day the way he did as the starter: working. ''Really, the only difference between not starting and starting is I don't take as many reps in practice, and once a week, on Sunday, I don't play,'' he said. ''The rest of the time I work just as hard.''

Did the benching make him think about the future? ''Oh, sure,'' Testaverde said. ''I'll be 39 soon. The way I look at it, this is a permanent decision. Of course, this doesn't mean that down the road things won't change if this happens or that happens.''